Winding-indicator for watches.



W. H. EBELHARE. WINDING INDICATOR FOR WATCHES. APPLICATION FILED my 4, 1910 Inn/67%;?

Patented May 9, 1911.

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WILLIAM HENRY EBELHARE, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE KEYSTONE WATCH CASE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. EBEL- HARE, of Waltham, in the county of MiddleseX and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in finding-Indicators for Watches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs, forming part thereof.

This invention has reference to improvements in winding indicators for watches whereby the number of hours that the watch will run, under normal conditions, is indicated.

The object of this invention is to provide a winding indicator particularly adapted for comparatively thin watches.

The invention consists in such novel features of construction and combination of parts as shall hereinafter be described and pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1, represents a front view of a watch provided with the improved winding indicator. The invention also consists in the peculiar mechanism for operating the winding indicator. Fig. 2, represents an enlarged view of the indicator dial, its hand, and its actuating pinion removed from the watch. Fig. 3, represents an enlarged sectional view of portions of a watch taken on line 33, Fig. 4, and illustrating the winding indicator in straight line development. Fig. 4, represents a similarly enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 Fig. 3.

Similar numbers of reference designate corresponding parts throughout.

As shown herein, in its preferred form 5 indicates the back plate and 6 the front plate of a watch having the dial 7 furnished with opening 8 which, in a stem winding watch, is preferably located adjacent the hour numeral 12.

J ournaled in a bearing of the plate 5 is the hub 9 of the usual ratchet wheel 10 to which hub is secured the safety barrel 11 having four peripherally disposed teeth 12, 12, and furnished with the usual spring 13 adapted to be wound by the rotation of the barrel 11 and connected with the arbor 14 journaled in the bore of said hub 9 and carrying the main wheel 15 furnished at its periphery with the usual series of teeth 16 engaged with the usual center wheel pinion 17 while from the edge of the wall of said main wheel extend four pins 18, 18 which in the relative Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 4, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Serial No. 559,368.

rotation of the barrel 11 and main wheel 15 clear the teeth 12 of said barrel, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In a bearing of the plate 6 is journaled the sleeve 19 having at one end the pinion 20 having ten teeth and at the other end the pinion 21 having eight teeth 21 which latter are adapted to be engaged by one of the pins 18, 18 of the main wheel 15, at each one quarter rotation of said main wheel to intermittently actuate said pinion 21 and to r0- tatively actuate the wheel 22 on the arbor 23 which is rotatably mounted in the plate 6 and at its outer end has the hand or pointer 24. In order to maintain the desired relative rotation between the arbor 23 and the main wheel 15 the wheel 22 is preferably provided with thirty-six teeth.

Journaled in the sleeve 19, and in a hearing of the plate 5, is the shaft 25 having the pinion 26 furnished with eight teeth 26 adapted to be intermittently engaged and actuated by the teeth 12, 12 of the barrel 11 to effect the intermittent rotation of said shaft 25 and its pinion 27, to correspondingly rotate the dial 28, journaled on the arbor 23, the peripherally disposed teeth of which are adapted to be engaged in succession-by the teeth of pinion 27 Bearing against the edge of the teeth 21 and 26 respectively of the pinions 21 and 26 are springs as 29 which act to retain in place the pinions 21 and 26 in position to be actuated by pins 18 and teeth 12 of their driving members.

It is to be noticed that the dial 28 has on its face numerals from 1 to 36 arranged in circular series with a space between the numerals 1 and 36 which contains two signal dots of which dot a is green and dot b is red, indicating respectively safety or danger when brought into juxtaposition with the outer end of the pointer 24. Said series of numerals, 1 to 36, on the face of dial 28, are so placed that, when in registry with the end of the hand 24, they indicate approximately the length of time the watch will run on the tension of its spring 13 at that time. Under the winding rotation of barrel 11 the pinion 26, its shaft 25, and the dial 28, through pinion 27 will be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 preferably until the numeral 36 is brought opposite the end of hand 24 which indicates that the watch is fully wound and has thirtysix hours to run under normal conditions. At the same time the green safety signal a is brought to position relative to the hand 2+1. When new the main wheel 15 is rotated by the spring 13, to operate the watch mechanism, pinions 21 will be intermittently actuated by the pins 18, 18 on said main wheel and such intermittent movement will be transmitted through the sleeve 19 and its pinion 20 to wheel 22 fixed on arbor 23 to rotate said latter arbor and its hand 24lwhereby said hand is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, that is, in the same direction that the dial 528 is rotated in the winding up of the spring 13. By this means the hand 2 always points toward a numeral indicating the number of hours the watch will run, under normal conditions before rewinding is necessary. When the hand 2% approaches the signal spot 7) it tends to attract the attention of the observer to said signal spot which, being of the color usually indicating danger, draws attention to the danger of the watch running down and stopping. In watches used by employees of railways this latter feature is particularly desirable.

Having thus described my invention 1 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent An indicator for watches comprising a main watch dial having an opening an indicator dial rotatably mounted in said opening and having a peripherally disposed series of teeth, a main safety winding barrel, peripheral teeth upon said barrel, a train of pinions in operative connection with the teeth of said indicator dial. and intermittently engageable by the teeth of said safety barrel during only the winding operation, a main wheel operating independently of said barrel in one direction, and having a peripherally disposed series of teeth and a series of pins less in number than said teeth, a shaft rotatably mounted and extending through an axially disposed opening in said indicator dial, a hand on said shaft, and a train of pinions in operative connection with said shaft and intermittently engageable by said pins of the main wheel, substantially as described.

WILLIAM HENRY EBELIIARE.

lVitnesses A. E. GRINNELL, W. C. COOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

